Police have successfully unraveled a tragic honour killing case involving a young couple from Bihar, whose bodies were discovered in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district. The investigation, spanning three states including Gujarat and Bihar, culminated in the arrest of two of the woman’s brothers. A manhunt is underway for two other absconding siblings implicated in the crime.
The arrested individuals, identified as Munna Kumar (22) and Rahul alias Siddharth (28), are accused of murdering the 19-year-old woman and her husband, Dukhan Shaw (22). The couple, belonging to a backward class, had eloped in June and married against the woman’s family’s wishes, subsequently settling in Gujarat’s Valsad district.
Their disappearance in September prompted Shaw’s brother to file a kidnapping complaint in Gujarat, accusing the woman’s brothers. The case took a complex turn when a body, suspected to be of the woman and showing signs of a bullet wound, was found in Sonbhadra on September 24. Initial identification efforts in surrounding districts and states proved fruitless due to Sonbhadra’s border proximity to four states.
The breakthrough occurred when Gujarat Police contacted Sonbhadra authorities regarding the missing couple. Following leads provided by Gujarat, Sonbhadra police traced the couple’s journey from Gujarat to Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, with plans to travel to Bihar. The identification of the deceased woman’s photograph by Shaw’s family, confirmed by Bihar police who verified the family’s opposition to the marriage, was pivotal. Authorities then arrested the two brothers, with efforts ongoing to apprehend Mukesh and Rakesh.